In the past, many different types of trolley assemblies for fishing nets have been proposed. These usually include an elongated sinker or weight together with pulley frames which are fastened at longitudinally spaced points to the sinker or weight with the pulleys being disposed in the frames for rolling movement along a relatively stationary or anchored line. However, with such trolley assemblies, there have been a number of problems in attaching and maintaining a trolley on a line that has been anchored.
In particular, prior art constructions have been severely deficient in securely maintaining an anchored line in rolling engagement with the trolley wheels. This has principally been due to the fact that pulley frames or arms have failed to provide a confined opening into which the anchored line can be introduced while also providing a pulley mounted in such a manner that the anchored line will always ride within the grooved rim of a pulley rather than become stuck between the outside surface of the pulley and the pulley frame no matter what the orientation of the trolley assembly. Further, trolley assemblies have been constructed in a manner that renders it difficult to introduce the line into position for rolling engagement.
More specifically, the pulley brackets were usually so designed that movement through the water would oftentimes cause the assembly to become disengaged from the anchored line. Even when this did not occur, each pulley bracket or frame usually had a flexible clamp portion or movable yoke portion through which the anchored line passed. With a construction of this type, the arm which closed the open side of the yoke would become loose after a short period of use rendering it prone to opening under wave action.
When using a gill net for catching fish such as smelt, it is recognized as important for the net to be maintained in a vertical position in the desired depth of water to obtain optimum results. This is usually done by utilizing anchor means connected to one end of an anchored line after introduction of which a fishing line having a gill net attached thereto is supported for movement upon the anchored line by means of a trolley assembly of the type described herein. In this manner, the gill net can be placed at a desired water depth for later removal therefrom, but the difficulty in moving the trolley assembly on the anchored line without fouling has often produced less than satisfactory results.
As will be appreciated by those skilled in gill net fishing, this problem is aggravated by reason of the design of the conventional trolley assembly. The length of trolley weights carried below distantly spaced trolley arms or pulley brackets combined with the attachment of the net to one remote end thereof results in an unbalanced load being placed on the trolley assembly by reason of which the trolley assembly pivots about one of the pulleys or trolley wheels meaning that the entire weight being moved by the trolley assembly is carried on only one rather than both of the pulleys. In other words, by failing to center the load, the trolley assembly does not operate in the intended fashion resulting in an improperly functioning device.
Because of the difficulties that have been mentioned, it has not been possible to engage in gill net fishing without the annoyance of trolley malfunctioning. It has, therefore, remained to provide a trolley assembly that is not only easy to place in an operating position on an anchored line but also is capable of smooth operation whereby the load is evenly balanced such that the gill net is equally supported by each of a pair of trolley wheels for rolling movement along the anchored line both during introduction of the gill net into the water and later retrieval of the gill net from the water after fish have been caught therein. Moreover, a trolley assembly having these attributes must be inexpensive to manufacture while at the same time being manufactured of materials that withstand repeated water exposure.
The present invention is directed to overcoming the above stated problems and establishing the stated objects by providing a unique trolley assembly.